Kids' tech dreams adopt today's fears

Drive a flying car. Work in a building protected by a detection system to avoid terrorist attacks. Attach a chip to your body to help generate a new organ to replace a damaged one.

These are just a few ideas that meld technology with a dose of imagination.

An easy job for a tech-savvy, creative kid.

Gathered at the 3rd annual Kids Tech 2001, a one-day technology exposition and contest held last Monday, sponsored by ComEd, more than 10,000 Chicago pupils showed how life can be improved using existing and future technology concepts.

This year, the "scientists of tomorrow" showed that they are prepared to succeed in a world of threats. Whether terrorism, pollution or health problems, the kids had a technical answer.

To fight the war against terrorism, kids came up with solutions that ranged from high-tech weapons for U.S. forces to sophisticated tools to protect civilians.

"Sept. 11 was horrendous for us, so we designed the `friendly skies detection system' to protect any structure or building," said Janyse Bonner, 13.

With her classmates at Joplin School, she designed a model camera with an electronic eye, 360-degree motion detector, and time-sensitive mechanism to better secure offices and buildings.

"The camera would be mounted externally, and would bring video from any designated area to a central control room where security personnel will be watching," said Khadijah Green, 13.

Another plus, said 12-year-old Jeffrey Hazel: The system is weather-resistant.

The Joplin team won first prize, including $1,000 in savings bonds. Its members are ready to market their solution and make big money.

"The friendly skies detection system would cost between $300,000 and $500,000 plus a three-year maintenance guarantee of $100,000," said Sholonda McClain, 13.

The children love competing, said Yvonne Sledd, president of Chicago-based KB Inc., an educational publishing and marketing solutions firm, and Kids Tech 2001.

"It's not who wins, but the process of competing that they enjoy," she said.

In today's society, how well-versed students are in technology may determine their success or failure, Sledd said.

While the Joplin team was busy convincing parents and friends about their anti-terrorism tool's benefits, other participants tackled environmental problems and showed solutions to avoid traffic jams.

To determine how the shape of automobiles affects travel time, pupils from Hoyne School made an analysis of existing and future cars, comparing different roof designs. The "Broom Broom" project determined the optimum shape of automobiles and won second place.

With no awards but a ton of imagination, another group from Sheridan School went even further, designing a flying car.

The creative ideas also included solar-powered houses and trash receptacles that look like sports goals and nets to keep the city trash-free.

"It's amazing," said Sherry Brticevich, mother of a Sheridan School student. "We're surprised by what the kids came up with, and it's all their creation."

The contest also welcomed those who dove into the field of medicine.

A team from Sheridan invented "the organ chip," a microscopic device to improve organ reproduction and help those in need of transplants.

"A lot of people die each year because there aren't enough organs. With this chip we guarantee more people will live every day," said Priscilla Lee, 10.

The chip collects organ tissue for the growth of new tissue. Inserted into the body intravenously, it can be controlled remotely using an infrared sensor, explained Angela Weng, 11.

Nina Scalise, 10, and Stephanie Galvin, 10, were the other half of the health-tech team that won third prize.

With anti-terrorism news flashing constantly on TV, some pupils designed solutions to help U.S. pilots flying over terrorist camps.

"We've designed this plane with a camera on top that allows the pilot to see what he's targeting," said Joseph Duncker, 10, holding his invention.

The camera can take pictures of ground targets, and it can work in good and bad weather, added Mathew Ing, 11, Duncker's classmate at Sheridan. The camera is made of the same materials used in the black boxes that protect flight data on airplanes, Ing said.

"While the old airplanes only allowed pilots to fly low in order to see their targets, our new plane lets them fly higher and destroy the enemy by seeing it on a screen," said Abriel Miller, 10.

"With the terrorists attacking us, we have to know where they are. With this airplane, we can bomb them before they bomb us," 10-year-old Brian Moy said.

Whether the U.S. jets will use this technology some day is hard to know, but the Federal Aviation Administration knows about the kids' love of planes. It set up a flight simulator at the fair to help them understand the world of aviation. Many students waited in line to use it to feel what it's like to be in command of a jet fighter.